Be like the Ocean

You may be on your drive this morning or maybe already in your office.

But as I drove in today, I started to think about the ocean… it’s beauty, the smell, the sound. A sound that can’t be repeated, most remarkable. Although there are many machines that try but to no avail. Each wave of the ocean is different. Different in its timing, its size, the volume of the wave, even some of the waves are strong and furious, some are so big that they become violent and destructive. But the waves also have a time of calm ...to enjoy and splash and play.

Now there are a lot of analogies to go along with the ocean and its waves, and today I want our focus to be on our patients that we care for being much like the ocean, gentle and kind, rough and violent, and even destructive at times.

We too can choose to be like the ocean and how we deal with our patients. As we have created the mental visual of the ocean, I want you to place yourself there as well.

In today’s customer service world, it is easy for us to take on the personality of the ocean along with those patients. The big question is this: does that hold true to our mission in the practice? I truly understand that patients can be a raging ocean. but they do not have to be.

When the ocean is raging, we don’t take it personally. When our patients are in a bad mood it is not a personal thing either. They, like the ocean, want to be heard. We, as a staff, can listen and follow office policy to calm the raging storm. If you are seeing storms in the office, then today is a good day to be consistent in calming them. Putting off a patient or staff member's storm by not responding is creating a furious wave that will come crashing at some point. No one likes to deal with patient or employee conflict; however, you will find that by being consistent in dealing with these issues you will relieve the nagging stress of dealing with conflict. These issues will become fewer and fewer. Now if any of you are leading a team, in management, or an owner… if you are putting off issues …then the waves are hitting your staff ahead of you. They are like that bearer wall, and they too will get worn down and crumble over time, if the issues are not addressed.

The first step to addressing this…MAKE A CHOICE AND DO IT!!! Go into work with the mindset of positivity! One that makes a choice to set a procedure to deal with the storm before it happens and handle the current storm while it is small. Write for yourself the ideal procedure to handle the storm and make it happen.

We can be the calm ocean sound to our patients. The sweet music you hear after the storm when all has calmed down. The voice that assures them that they are being heard while you address the issues. Remember that waiting causes destructive waves.

So today ….

Be like the ocean ... breathtaking to look at… strong enough NOT to be destroyed …. and gentle enough so others find comfort in your presence.